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Nutting honored for 'Let's Go Green' initiative

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By Adam Berry
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MLB.com |

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Pirates principal owner and chairman Bob Nutting will be honored Thursday night by the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) for his role in the sports industry's work to adopt sustainable business practices.

According to a club release, Nutting will be recognized at the NRDC's Game Changer Award Gala for the Pirates' "Let's Go Bucs. Let's Go Green" initiative, which diverts more than 65 percent of PNC Park's waste material out of the waste stream, as well as the greening practices at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Ogden Newspapers publishing company owned by the Nutting family.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the NRDC and accept this award on behalf of those within the Pirates, Seven Springs and Ogden Newspapers organizations whose hard work makes our sustainability initiatives possible," Nutting said in a statement. "We can all make a difference in protecting our environment. The city of Pittsburgh and the Laurel Highlands region is surrounded by such natural beauty. We are very fortunate to have an opportunity to live in, and help protect, it for future generations."

Four professional sports commissioners, including Major League Baseball's Bud Selig, will co-chair the event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. Fellow honorees include New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, New York Giants co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara, and Scott Jenkins, the Mariners' vice president of ballpark operations and chair of the Green Sports Alliance.

"Bob is one of the pioneers in the professional sports greening movement that has made sustainability the rule rather than the exception," NRDC president Frances Beinecke said in a statement. "Through his dedication and actions, Bob and the Pirates are on the forefront in leading a cultural shift toward environmental responsibility in sports."

Adam Berry is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adamdberry. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.